Start at the iliac crest (the top of your hipbone that you can feel like a shelf on the side of your body). From this level on your spine, measure to the C7 vertebrae, the knobby bone at the base of your neck when you put your head down. Make sure to keep your back straight while having the measurement taken.

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Description

A backpack for winter and alpine environments.

Osprey developed the Variant 37 Backpack with features any winter climber will appreciate. With crampon and wand pockets, ice tool holsters, and a three-point haul system, this pack begs to climb frozen waterfalls and glacier-covered peaks. The Opsrey Variant has a removable frame sheet and hip-belt for easier climbing or when you want to reduce overall weight. A removable top pocket with spindrift collar lets you streamline still further for missions that gram-ditching zeal.

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Travel worthy

On a recent trip to England, I took my Variant as my carry on. Typically, packs with real hip belts are a hassle to stuff in an overhead bin. Two buckles and the velcro later, the Variant's belt is off and easily stowed in the bottom of the pack, keeping it out of the way for all the airport hustling.

The crampon/shovel blade pocket does a nice job of catching a laptop sleeve, making trips through security a breeze.

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Side ski carry.

For doing quick boot packs, I find a full A-frame to be a bit excessive. While experimenting with this, I found that the Variant has a great way to slap them on the side.

With the leashes connected to each other, I slid one ski through the dedicated ski strap on the bottom. Then, the upper compression strap goes beneath the binding, thus holding the skis together and cinching them tight. Even better, the frame sheet and hip belt are supportive enough to make it comfy carrying the unbalanced load.

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First turns of the season

This is exactly the kind of thing I want my pack to be able to do: carry a day's worth of gear plus skis and boots. Approach, transition, ski, transition, walk out. The Variant has been phenomenal for this.

With lid

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A bag that hugs back

Gender:
Male

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

As you get steadily weirder on the edges of the bell curve, the gear needed to satiate those bizarre visions seems to get a lot scarcer. I've realized that I want a daypack that carries glacier travel gear, can work for ski touring, and can actually handle a bit of weight when fully loaded for a day or two with bivis. Also, it needs to be able to crunch down after stashing camping gear, because I don't a second, smaller, and lighter pack for more minimal days. Such are the strange demands I held coming into this pack.

For reference, I come to the Variant 37 from the Gregory Alpinisto 35, which I've reviewed on that page. Though a good bag, my main complaint was that it didn't handle the weight associated with full trad racks and overnight supplies.

I'm at the edge of the Medium/Large divide, but some advice from a local pack fitter suggested the Large to accommodate my larger chest.

The first thing I noticed about the carry is how connected it feels. There are very few gap spots. Padding in places where it's necessary, and tapered elsewhere. The hip belt is wide enough to cup over the top of my hips and down the sides, making for a really comfortable carry--such a huge improvement over the narrow, barely there belt on the Alpinisto.

In a Large, the internal volume stacks to 40L. The lid is floating and removable, which makes it totally doable for overnights. Thankfully, the low volume day trips I took in on were simple--cinch the compression straps, and the whole thing narrows nicely. Remove the lid, and the flapjack closure still has a little mesh pocket for keys and such.

The crampon pouch is nicely multipurpose--easily fits a big water bottle or layer or my avie shovel blade, solving the issue of quick access while skinning. Every pack needs this sort of pocket.

I've spent a few months dragging the pack around through mud, snow, and overhead bins. It still looks brand new, nothing has yet to malfunction, and I'm totally impressed.